The first Salmond government, which was sworn in on 17 May 2007 at the start of the 3rd Scottish Parliament, was an SNP minority government.Having won the largest number of seats in the general election (47 of 129) the SNP sought to form a coalition with the Scottish Liberal Democrats. When those talks failed, the SNP chose to form a one-party minority government. The SNP and Scottish Greens signed an agreement where the Greens supported SNP ministerial appointments, but did not offer support for any confidence or budget votes ("confidence and supply").[1] SNP leader, Alex Salmond was elected First Minister on 16 May 2007; he was officially sworn in and his slate of ministerial appointments were ratified by the Scottish Parliament the following day.
First Salmond government | |
|---|---|
 5th government of Scotland | |
| 2007–2011 | |
.jpg) | |
| Date formed | 17 May 2007 |
| Date dissolved | 19 May 2011 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| First Minister | Alex Salmond |
| First Minister's history | 2007–2014 |
| Deputy First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Total no. of members | 16 |
| Member parties | |
| Status in legislature | Minority 47 / 129 (36%) |
| Opposition party | Scottish Labour Party |
| Opposition leader | Jack McConnell (2007) Cathy Jamieson (2007) Wendy Alexander (2007-08) Cathy Jamieson (2008) Iain Gray (2008-11) |
| History | |
| Election | 2007 general election |
| Outgoing election | 2011 general election |
| Legislature term | 3rd Scottish Parliament |
| Predecessor | Second McConnell government |
| Successor | Second Salmond government |
History
editDue to the agreement signed with the Greens, Salmond's investiture vote was successful despite only having 47 of 129 seats in the Parliament. The vote was 49–46, with the SNP and Greens voting in favour and the 46 Scottish Labour MSPs voting against, with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats abstaining.[2]
On 16 May 2007, a few hours after Salmond was sworn in by parliament, he announced his intention to form a government composed of five cabinet secretaries and ten junior ministers.[3] Furthermore, the Lord Advocate lost her seat in the cabinet.[4]
A cabinet reshuffle took place in February 2009.[5]
Cabinet
editMay 2007 to February 2009
edit| Portfolio | Portrait | Minister | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet secretaries | |||
| First Minister | .jpg) | The Rt Hon | 2007–2014 |
| Deputy First Minister |  | Nicola Sturgeon MSP | 2007–2014 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing | 2007–2012 | ||
| Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth | .jpg) | John Swinney MSP | 2007–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | .jpg) | Fiona Hyslop MSP | 2007–2009 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Justice | .jpg) | Kenny MacAskill MSP | 2007–2014 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment | .jpg) | Richard Lochhead MSP | 2007–2016 |
| Also attending cabinet meetings | |||
| Permanent Secretary |  | John Elvidge | 2003–2010 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Business | .jpg) | Bruce Crawford MSP | 2007–2011 |
| Lord Advocate |  | The Rt Hon. Elish Angiolini QC | 2006–2011 |
February 2009 to May 2011
edit| Portfolio | Portrait | Minister | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabinet secretaries | |||
| First Minister | | The Rt Hon | 2007–2014 |
| Deputy First Minister | | Nicola Sturgeon MSP | 2007–2014 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing | 2007–2012 | ||
| Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth | | John Swinney MSP | 2007–2016 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | .jpg) | Michael Russell MSP | 2009–2011 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Justice | | Kenny MacAskill MSP | 2007–2014 |
| Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment | | Richard Lochhead MSP | 2007–2016 |
| Also attending cabinet meetings | |||
| Permanent Secretary |  | Peter Housden | 2010–2015 |
| Minister for Parliamentary Business | | Bruce Crawford MSP | 2007–2011 |
| Lord Advocate | | The Rt Hon. Elish Angiolini QC | 2006–2011 |
Changes
edit- Fiona Hyslop is demoted from Cabinet and appointed Minister for Culture and External Affairs; Hyslop is replaced as Education Secretary by Michael Russell.
- John Elvidge stood down as the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government in June 2010 and was succeeded by Peter Housden.
Junior Ministers
editScottish Law Officers
editLaw officers[6] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Post | Name | Term |
| Lord Advocate | The Right Hon. Elish Angiolini QC | 2007–2011 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | The Right Hon. Frank Mulholland QC | 2007–2011 |
References
edit- ^ "SNP and Greens sign working deal". BBC News. BBC. 11 May 2007. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ "Salmond elected as first minister". BBC News. 16 May 2007. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- ^ "Salmond announces his new cabinet". BBC News. 16 May 2007.
- ^ "Legal official loses Cabinet seat". BBC News. 22 May 2007.
- ^ "Cabinet and ministers at-a-glance - A guide to who's who in the Scottish government". BBC News. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ^ a b c d "Scottish Ministers, Law Officers and Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 3" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2016.